In the solitude of my room, I found myself lost in tender emotions, the aftermath of a passionate encounter with Kristen the night before. It was as if a powerful force had collided with my most cherished possession, leaving me in a whirlwind of sensations.

Thankfully, it was the weekend, granting me a reprieve from the scrutiny of the world outside. I masked the lingering pain, a sweet reminder of our intimate moments, behind a facade of normalcy. But deep inside, my heart still fluttered, and the blissful connection we shared made me yearn for his presence by my side, always.

Even in my attempts to act composed, I felt like an enamored teenager, unable to contain the excitement of her first crush. At breakfast, when Mom noticed my discomfort, I had no choice but to fabricate a clumsy explanation, concealing the true cause of my discomfort.

As I settled on my bed, seeking solace in my favorite TV show, I hoped the outside commotion would soon pass. However, fate had other plans. My door swung open, revealing Kristen's mischievous smirk and a group of concerned faces.

My cheeks flushed with embarrassment as my heart raced frantically within my chest. I dreaded that Kristen had already spilled the details of our passionate encounter, and now my life felt as if it were about to crumble.

Attempting to regain my composure, I hastily fixed my disheveled hair, attempting to hide my flustered state. Despite the need for comfort in my inner turmoil, I knew I was ready for any challenge Kristen had in store for us.

Lost in thoughts of our passionate moments, my mind wandered into a realm of fantasy, which I struggled to push aside in the presence of others. However, my reverie was interrupted as the remote was swiftly snatched from my grasp, pulling me back to the present moment.

"You don't need this," Marco said, his sweet smile reaching deep into my soul.

Sweet baby Jesus, it was worse than I had feared. They were definitely up to something. Marco's uncharacteristic sweetness made my heart race, and I knew they were well aware of what had transpired that other night.

"How are you feeling, Anna?" Kyle's gentle inquiry only intensified my embarrassment, and I couldn't help but blush even more.

Damn that Kristen!

My gaze shifted to him, the culprit behind this revelation, his ever-present smirk only fueling my frustration.

Feeling betrayed and hurt, I realized that our special moment together had been laid bare before the others.

"We wanted to take you out for ice cream," Steff spoke, but even his kind words couldn't fully distract me from the situation at hand. I wondered if he was upset with me for not confiding in him about what had happened, but his genuine concern was evident.

"I'm fine!" I grimaced, trying to regain some semblance of control as I looked away from them, searching for the remote to dismiss their unwelcome presence. "Now could you please leave me in peace? It's bad enough the secret is out," I huffed, glaring at them, my vulnerability exposed.

"We never meant to; Kristen was the one who forced us to do it," Maurice chimed in, adding to my confusion. What was he rambling about?

I decided it was time to leave, wanting to escape this awkward situation, but as I made my move, a familiar hand restrained me. Tingles shot through my body, and all I craved was to be in his arms again, feeling the love he had shown me only a day ago.

But the presence of the others in the room snapped me back to reality, and I forcefully pulled away from his touch. Despite my anger at him for sharing our intimate moment, my immediate focus was on getting rid of the others. I would deal with Kristen later.

"Bella baby?" His voice called out to me.

"Don't 'Bella baby' me, you simple-minded peanut for a boyfriend. I can't believe you told the others?!" I fumed with indignation.

"Princess, I've done none of your idiotic conclusions. Nothing is as you're making it seem. So I suggest you choose your words wisely," he responded firmly, his gaze unwavering, and yet, I couldn't help but notice the intense focus in his eyes on my lips.

Feeling a sudden surge of boldness, I slowly slid my tongue across my lips, relishing the effect it had on him. His eyes followed every little movement, and I reveled in the attention.

Our intense moment, however, was abruptly interrupted by Steff clearing his throat, causing us to break apart.

"Why are you all here?" I questioned, tilting my head at the rest of them.

They averted their eyes, feigning preoccupation, but their uneasiness was palpable.

"We just wanted to take you out for some ice cream... but what the hell happened between you two?" Kyle asked, his curiosity evident as he glanced between us.

Awkward silence hung in the air, and I could feel their gazes on me, waiting for an explanation. Except for Steff, who seemed rather intrigued. It was as if he knew exactly what I was thinking, and before he could say anything, I swiftly cut him off.

"I could do with some ice cream," I rushed, using it as an excuse to escape the tension in the room, heading for the bathroom to freshen up.

Kristen was starting to get under my skin, and not in a good way.

As I quickly freshened up, I strained to catch snippets of the hushed conversation outside the bathroom. Frustrated by the water drowning out their words, I turned it off, hoping for a moment of clarity, but it only resulted in awkward silence. Ok maybe not a good idea.

Realizing my eavesdropping attempt had failed, I turned the water back on, and their whispers resumed.

"It doesn't seem as if she knows."

"Good, we can't let her know. She'd kill us. Those damn cupcakes gave me enough nightmares."

"Kristen, this is all your fault. You better hope she doesn't find out, because I'm not taking any punishment this time."

"Could you shut the f*ck up."

"I can't believe we let you talk us into it. Now, we're currently the city's most wanted!"

"You should've listened to us and just had him fired!"

The rest of their conversation eluded me as I decided to leave the bathroom. The prospect of ice cream seemed like a good way to distract myself from the swirling mix of pain and lust in my clouded mind.

My parents had agreed to have Antonio accompany us, granting them some alone time. Antonio quickly latched onto Steff, giving me a brief respite to concoct a plausible lie before he could question me about what happened earlier.

The car ride to the town was an uncomfortable one, knowing Kristen and Kyle were present, and my mind couldn't help but wander back to their cryptic conversation.

"Here we are, Blue Lagoon Ice Cream. This will have you moaning for more in no time, baby," Kristen's words made me nearly jump out of the car, as if my life depended on escaping the awkward situation.

My panties were soaked, for crying out loud! I couldn't believe he had said that, making my already tumultuous emotions even more overwhelming.

As we all sat around the booth, enjoying our ice cream, my mind couldn't help but drift back to the whispering conversation from earlier and the lingering ache in my core. Kristen and Steff's constant smirking only added to my unease.

Antonio and I ordered our favorite cookies and cream, while the others chose vanilla, insisting it was more "manly."

"Look, Anna, we wanted to apologize for the way we treated you before. We were mean, overprotective, and demanding. Do you think you could forgive us? We promise never to do it again," Marco pleaded sincerely.

I was surprised to see that they had genuinely changed their behavior.

"Of course, I forgive you guys. Especially after that trip to Jamaica you guys booked," I smiled, feeling relieved and happy to let go of the past.

Feeling the need to excuse myself, I mentioned I needed to use the bathroom and made my way there. On my way, I passed by a TV showing a familiar doctor, the same one who had helped us prank Maria to locate Antonio.

To my horror, his face was swollen and bruised, and he was speaking to a news reporter.

"After I had left work, I went to a nearby store to purchase some food items, only to be pounced upon by five masked figures."

"What happened after that?" the news representative questioned.

"That was the funny part, they didn't take anything. The leader grabbed me by the neck, threatened me to stay away from his women who didn't belong to me, and then he punched me in the face and ran off," he explained.

"Were you terrified?" the reporter asked.

"Just a bit. One of them stayed as a watchman, and the other three stood to the side. After the boss punched me, they all ran away! Damn cowards. I'm not even interested in women; I have a boyfriend!" he said, clearly frustrated.

They then showed a picture of the masked figures, and I instantly recognized them as the same people I knew all too well.

So this was what they were hiding?

Those damn bastards!

**************

Hello everyone!

I hope you liked this chapter. Stay tuned for more chapters to come😙😁.

See you soon.

Please remember to vote and comment down below.😄😘